Lifting device



April 24, 1934. F. MCS THoMAs LIFTING DEVICE Filed Oct. 2.4. 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l Eganjc Tfwmas,

April 24, 1934. F. Mes. THOMAS LIFTING DEVICE Filed Oct. 24, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Har/R' T/wmas,

Ewa-W @Mm/MAM Patented Apr. 2.4, 1934 UNITED STATES LIFTING DEVICE Frank McS. Thomas, Easton, Pa., assigner to Warren Foundry and Pipe Corporation,

Phillipsburg, N. J., a corporation of Delaware Application October 24,

l5 Claims.

This invention relates to article handling devices and more particularly to an apparatus adapted for handling iiasks or other cylindrical bodies.

An object of the invention is the provision of a device which will handle two flasks at the same time.

Another object is the provision of a handling device which will automatically engage or disengage itself from the articles to be handled, thus dispensing with manual requirements.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an apparatus capable of handling heavy loads.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a handling device free from release mechanisms which may be accidentally released by blows, vibrations or collisions.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a handling device in which no operating movement tending te release the lo-ad is possible until the weight of the load is entirely relieved from the anchors.

A further object is the provision of a device which will operate in a limited space.

A still further object is the provision or" a device requiring a minimum of parts and which will be positive and trouble-free in its operation.

Other objects will appear from the following description.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in

which:

Fig. 1 is a plan View or" the device showing its relation to the flasks to be handled.

Figure 2 is an elevation, part of the device being shown in an axial section.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the device partly in axial section, the article engaging means being rotated 90.

Fig. 4 is a development of the cam.

Fig. 5 is a sectional plan View on line'5-5 of Fig. 3.

The frame of the device is built-up of the side beams 6 6 which are preferably channel bars as best shown in Fig. 3. Secured to the ends of these beams, as here shown by the bolts 7, are the spacer or housing blocks 8 8. Located near the spacer blocks are the sheaves 9, rotatably mounted on the shaft 1Q carried by the cross plates 11-11. These sheaves are intended for use with a hoisting rope to raise or lower the device when suspended from an overhead crane or derrick of any suitable kind. It is apparent, however, that any form of hook or lug may be provided for enabling the device to be moved upwardly or downwardly.

In addition to its function o1" separating the side beams of the frame, the spacer block is bored at 12 and serves as a guide means for the sup- 1932, Serial No. 639,360

porting or article lifting member which is to engage with the article to be lifted. This supporting member comprises a stem 13, which has a reduced threaded extension 14 at one end providing a shoulder at 15, and an anchor shaped element 16 secured to the opposite end of theV stem. The stem 13 constitutes a carrier member for the engaging means 16. As shown in Fig. 1 the anchor shaped elements are of narrow breadth ment may be substituted, which is best adapted for the particular article to be handled.

Surrounding the upper portion of the stem 13 ls a bushing 19. The lower end of the bushing abuts against a shoulder on the stem at 20, and is provided with the peripheral ange 21 which, being of larger diameter than the bore 12, limits the upward longitudinal movement o1" the stem within the bore. Located on the bushing 19 and abutting againstthe flange 21 is a cam sleeve 22. The upper ends of the bushing 19 and sleeve 22 are substantially flush with the shoulder 15 and to retain these parts in Xed position, a disk 23 is bolted against the shoulder 15 by a nut 24 screwed onto the threaded projection 14. The periphery of the disk 23 extends beyond the margin of the bore 12 and thus serves as a stop limiting the downward movement of the stem assembly. It may be larger than the block 8.

The cam sleeve 22 is provided on its outer face with a cylindrical cam groove 24 the development of which is shown in Fig. 4. The groove is formed of upper and lower radially spaced longitudinal channels 25 and 26, the angular distance between the lower and upper channels being 45. Between the longitudinal channels are the alternately inclined connecting channels 27, 29. It will be noted that alternate walls of the connecting channels extend beyond the projection of the open end of the oppositely located longitudinal channel. That is, the wall 28 of channel 27'overlies the opening to channel 26, while the wall 30 of channel 29 overlies the opening to channel 25.

ending within the cam groove is the end of a stud 33, carrying a roller 31, and supported in the flanged member 34. The ange of this member 34 preferably bolts directly on the side of the spacer block 8, the side beam 6 being ap'erturcd at 35 to permit this. Four of these studs are spaced around 8.

1n the operation of the device the anchor shaped elements are rst positioned so that their arms lie in the same plane. Because of the weight of the anchor shaped elements the cam sleeve will be in its lowermost position and will be held against rotary motion by the projection of the studs into the upper longitudinal channels 25. With the anchor-shaped elements in this position the device may be lowered and the arms 17 will pass freely between adjacent flasks 18 which are usually supported on skid rails 32.

The device is lowered until the anchor shaped elements strike the ground and upon further lowering the weight of the frame will cause the spacer blocks to slide downwardly over the cam sleeve. Since the stud 33 is carried by the spacer blocks it will move along the channel 25 until it strikes the wall 30 of the channel 29 and the weight of the frame will be suflicient to urge the stud along the inclined channel 29, causing the cam sleeve and the anchor shaped elements to rotate underneath the supported flasks, and into the longitudinal channel 26.

Upon now raising the device the spacer block will slide upwardly over the cam sleeve and the stud 33 will contact with and move along the wall 28 of the inclined channel 27 and into the longitudinal channel 25, thus causingr an additional rotation of 45 of the anchor shaped elements. rI'he anchor shaped elements having been rotated through 90, the arms 17 of the elements at opposite ends of the frame will be in parallel planes and will be in position to engage with the under sides of the flasks as shown in Fig. 3. On continued upward motion of the device two of the flasks will be lifted, each being supported at its opposite ends, after which they may be conveyed to the desired location.

In unloading the device the reciprocatory motion between the cam sleeve and the spacer or guide blocks is repeated and the anchor shaped elements will both be rotated through 90 while rollers.

underneath the flasks so that the arms 17 lie in the same plane and may readily be withdrawn between the two deposited flasks.

It will be noted that there is a progressive intermittent rotation of both anchor shaped elements as the flasks are lifted and deposited and that the two elements keep in step at all times. The supporting rails 32 need only be sufficiently high to permit the arms to swing around underneath the supported flasks.

The load on each anchor is entirely carried by the disk 23, and as has been stated, the flange 21 prevents the block 8 from slipping over the cam in the opposite direction and injuring the cam rollers. To prevent such damage the cam slots 25 and 26 are elongated beyond the limits determined by the disk 23 and flange 2l and no lifting or bottoming strains can be assumed by the cam When either the flange or the disk are in contact with the block 8, there is still unoccupied cam slot room beyond the rollers to prevent the strain coming upon them. The lower slots 26 have been made longer than required to merely accomplish the turning of the anchor elements.

The extra length permits of some drift of the crane after the partial rotations have been accomplished without causing the hoisting ropes to slack.

In service, the block 8 seldom touches the lower flange on the bushing.

Four of the stud and roller assemblies have been shown, registering with each of the four slots 25, to provide strength and durability. It is apparent that two, or even one, may be used.

This device may be used with cranes having long hoisting drums from which two 2) sets of hoisting ropes extend to the lifting device.

This arrangement assures the load being handled without tilting in case the weight be not equally applied to the two (2) anchors.

The device could be used with three or more anchors for lifting long material.

One flask or two may be lifted. The anchor flukes are curved so that when lifting only one flask it will not roll out due to the angular displacement of the lifting device from the vertical.

The cam sleeve 22, bushing 19 and stem 13 have been shown as separate parts for convenience of manufacture and renewal in case of wear or accident. They could, however, all be in one solid piece. If made as separate elements they should be suitably pinned or keyed together to prevent their relative rotation. As shown, the pin 37 connects sleeve 22 and bushing 19, and the pin 38 connects bushing 19 with the sleeve 13. It may be desirable to make the sleeve 22 in two parts, the upper part 22 having the cam groove while the lower part 22" serves as a spacer sleeve. Both upper and lower sleeves should be pinned to the stem 13.

What is claimed is:

1. In an article handling device the combination of a frame member movable upwardly and downwardly, means for engagement with the article to be handled, connecting means between the frame and the engaging means permitting rotation of the engaging means and its relative movement toward and away from the frame, and means associated with the engaging means and the frame for rotating the engaging means into and out of operative position upon said relative movement of the engaging means towards or away from the frame.

2. In an article handling device the combination of a frame member movable upwardly and downwardly, guide means on said frame, means for engagement with the article to be handled and having a stem, said stem being mounted within the guide means and having rotatable and relative longitudinal movement therein, and means associated with the said stem and the guide means for rotating the engaging means into and out of operative position upon said relative longitudinal movement of the stem within said guide means.

3. In an article handling device the combination of a frame member movable upwardly and downwardly, guide means on said frame, means for engagement with the article to be handled and having a stem, said stem being mounted within the guide means and having rotatable and relative longitudinal movement therein, and a cam associated with the stem and the guide means for causing a step-by-step rotation of the engaging means upon the relative reciprocatory longitudinal movement between the stem and the guide means.

4. In an article handling device the combination of a frame member movable upwardly and downwardly, a bored guide means on said frame, an inwardly extending projection within the bore of the guide means, a supporting member comprising a steam and means for engagement with the article to be handled, the stem being mounted within the bore of the guide means'and having rotatable and relative longitudinal movement therein, said stem having a cam groove along that portion within the said bore cooperating with said projection to cause progressive intermittent rotation of the supporting member upon the relative reciprocatory longitudinal displacement between the stem and the guide means.

5. In an article handling device the combination of a frame member movable upwardly and downwardly, guide means on said frame, a supporting member comprising a stem and means for engagement with the article to be handled, the stem being mounted Within the guide means and having rotatable and relative reciprocatory longitudinal movement therein, said stem having a circumferential cam groove along that portion of the stem within the guide means, and a projection carried by the guide means and registering with the cam groove to cause a step-by-step rotary motion of 45 of the engaging means upon each reciprocation of the stem relative to the guide means.

6. In a device for handling cylindrical bodies such as flasks lying in the same horizontal plane, the combination of a frame member movable upwardly and downwardly, a supporting member depending from the frame member, lateral arms projecting from opposite sides of the depending supporting member for engagement with the under sides of an adjacent pair of the cylindrical bodies to be handled, said supporting member being rotatable with respect to the frame member about a vertical axis through the juncture of said lateral arms, and means associated with the supporting member for rotating it about said axis and thereby rotating the arms into or out of position under the adjacent cylindrical bodies to be handled, to place it in position to engage with the adjacent bodies or to pass freely between them.

7. In combination, a base surface, means for supporting flasks above the base surface, a frame and lifting means to engage and lift the articles or asks, means for attaching the lifting means to the frame to permit their rotation into a common plane parallel with the axes of the flasks, or into parallel planes at right angles to the axes of the flasks, the said lifting means when in a common plane being in an inoperative position to pass between adjacent flasks, and when in parallel planes being in operative position to engage with the under sides of adjacent flasks, and means associated with the lifting means and the frame, and operative upon contact of the lifting means with the base surface to cause said lifting means to rotate from inoperative to operative position or vice versa when the lifting means are underneath the flasks.

8. In an article handling device, the combination of a frame, a pair of means for engagement with the article to be handled, connecting means between .each of the engaging means and the frame permitting relative vertical movement and rotation of the engaging means, and means associated with each connecting Vmeans and the frame for rotating the engaging means either into a common plane or into parallel planes consequent upon said relative vertical movement.

9. A lifting apparatus comprising a Ycarrier member, a housing block having vertical movement relative thereto, means carried by said member and extending laterally therefrom for engaging the article to be lifted, and means for rotating the carrier member upon said relative movement to position the laterally extending engaging means beneath the article, or off to one side of the same.

10. A lifting apparatus comprising a pair of carrier members, housing blocks for said carrier members and having vertical movement relative thereto, means carried by each of said members extending laterally therefrom for engaging the articles, and means for rotating the carrier members in unison upon said relative movement to position their laterally extending engaging means in parallel vertical planes beneath the articles to be lifted or in the same vertical plane alongside the articles.

l1. A lifting apparatus comprising a carrier member, a housing block having vertical movement relative thereto, means carried by said member extending laterally therefrom for engaging the article to be lifted, a base for arresting the downward movement of the carrier member with its engaging means, and means for rotating the carrier member when seated on said base, and upon said relative movement, to position the laterally extending engaging means beneath the article for lifting it, or olf to one side of the same for depositing and passing free in respect thereto.

l2. A lifting apparatus comprising a frame and a rotatable carrier member, said carrier member having means extending laterally therefrom for engaging the article to be lifted, a base' for arresting the downward movement of the carrier member with its engaging means, and means for rotating the carrier member when engaging with said base to position the laterally extending engaging means beneath the article for lifting it, or off to one side of the same for depositing and passing free in respect thereto.

13. A lifting apparatus comprising a frame and a pair of rotatable carrier members, said carrier members having means extending laterally therefrom for engaging the article to be lifted, a base for arresting the downward movement of the carrier members with their engaging means, and means for rotating the carrier members in unison when engaging with said base to position their laterally extending engaging means in parallel vertical planes beneath the articles to be lifted or in the same vertical plane alongside the articles to pass free of them.

i4. A lifting apparatus comprising a carrier member having means extending laterally therefrom for engaging the article to be lifted, a housing member therefor movable with the carrier member when transporting articles, said carrier member having rotational and longitudinal movement relative to the housing member, and means associated with the carrier member and the housing member for rotating the carrier member with respect to the housing member to position the engaging means either into a position beneath an article to be lifted or to one side of the article to pass free in respect thereto.

15. A lifting apparatus comprising a carrier member having means extending laterally therefrom for engaging the article to be lifted, a housing member therefor movable with the carrier member when transporting articles, means associated with the carrier member and the housing member for rotating the carrier member with respect to the housing member upon their relative longitudinal displacement, and means for arresting one of said members while permitting the continued movement of the other member to effect their relative longitudinal displacement and thereby cause rotation of the engaging means of the carrier member either into a position beneath an article to be lifted or to one side of the article to pass free in respect thereto.

FRANK MCS. THOMAS. 

